Vibram® FiveFingers® coming to athelite

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 Due in to athelite 5th September

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Kelso Triathlon 7th August 2011 Race Report

Having achieved a podium spot at the weekend Nicola is contractually obliged to come up with a race report so here is her report from Kelso Novice Triathlon. As always - never short on words!!

This is my first, and probably last race report if you only get to do them when you make podium or do a PB! So I’m making the most of it and as well as doing a story about Kelso, talk about my first 6 months in the wonderful world of triathlon – just hope ATHelite aren’t getting their editorial red pens out as they read this incase there’s a word count restriction!

I’m a girl of many things, but making it up as I go along def isn’t one of them, I have my routine day before and on race morning – so I serviced the bike, put gas in the car, packed kit as per list, ate my porridge, and most importantly made sure I packed cake the endless consumption of which is the main benefit of triathlon for me!

Awful lot of time to waste post registration to actual race, 4 hours. This very nearly put me in the wrong frame of mind, but thankfully some family came to see me and despite this only being my 3^rd triathlon I recognised a friendly face from a previous race so I narrowly avoided boredom and pre-race demons!

As always I couldn’t wait to get started, no butterflys in tummy, just knowledge that I’d done it before, had trained my best, and would do it again. Ever since my first triathlon where in naivety my race strategy was to go as hard as I could and I died half way through the bike, my race strategy has been the same – slooooow swim (because I’ll still be one of the first out the pool and my bike is weak if I’m even remotely out of breath after the swim), good but not too hard bike, and then whatever I can manage on the run!  Reckon by adding 30 seconds on my swim I save at least 3 or 4 minutes on my bike and run.

Swim felt great, although I did have some 12 year old North East champ on my tail the whole way – not a chance was that kid getting past me! Or so I thought until the wee fecker bombed it the penultimate length and tapped me on the foot 2 seconds before the wall… WTF?!

On the bike I soon hit the not inconsiderably sized hill, but I get a lot confidence from having survived a trauma before, so I just thought of the eaglesham, bonnington and ardochrig climbs at home, imagined I was drafting behind Malcolm on a Saturday morning with Shirley yakking away in the background and just kept spinning as Colin told me to do on my first day! The roads could have taken narrowboats instead of cars what with the size and frequency of the puddles, and I decided it wasn’t worth coming off the bike on the downhill so kept it fast but safe! Pleased to say I burned the North East champ in T1;)

On to my 2^nd nemesis.. the run! All I can say is thank you to the Monday run group for making me feel so welcome. It is entirely down to my 3 weeks there that I managed to put in what was for me a great tri run, and all on a hilly course with 30 uphill steps in the middle! I really felt the benefit of even that little bit of formal training after having done all previous training on my own. But I am looking forward to knocking off serious minutes from my time with continued attendance Genevieve so I know I’m not off the hook;)

I thought it was worthwhile mentioning transition - quite frankly it was chuffing freezing and the rain was binning it down, but as the Saturday bike crew know, I go out in anything. So whilst others were faffing around in T1 and 2 with long sleeves and waterproofs, I went hardcore - tri suit only. In the end I made 3^rd female by just 36 seconds, the girl in 4^th was technically faster but spent well over a minute longer than me in transitions – I think the message there is hypothermia will only kill you after the race so deal with it then;)

So here’s my parting thoughts, it’s pretty daunting for a girl doing baby triathlons with only 6 months training under her belt to be in a world where everyone is much more fit and far more experienced. There’s comfort to be had from ‘you don’t know what you don’t know’!  One of the hardest things for me is the fear of holding better people back, but I can honestly say without attending the club training and everyone’s help and support I wouldn’t have got even this far!  So whilst triathlon is a solo sport, I feel I swim bike and run on the shoulders of others, including my family and friends who listen to me wanging on about the hardships, the aches and pains, the ups the downs, tolerate the being late for things, turning up with hair wet and no make up, or not being able to join in at all because of some training commitment.  And special mention to Gordon and Peter, you’ve not only had to do your own tri training but have lived through every step of mine too. 

Lets hope I never win an Oscar, over and out;)

London Triathlon Race Report

Here is Lornas race report from her London Triathlon experience at the weekend. Well done Lorna!!


The Transition, Expo, start and finish for this race were all inside the Excel London - a massive exhibition centre of which one entire side was the London Triathlon - billed as the largest triathlon in the World.

The massed ranks of bike racks was something to see. I was told there were 8000 folks entered - presumably they didn't all turn up but they were starting waves all day Saturday and Sunday from very early till evening. Each one with the warm up comedian at the swim start and commentators at the waters edge. The swim start was pretty calm - big floating dumbells provided by Virgin health clubs - very appropriate. I was in the mixed wave (thanks to entering late) and found myself having to swim through lots of very boisterous men who seemed intent on thumping me in the head. I am not used to that kind of thing at all and had a couple of big swallows of Thames water - mmm slightly salty mixed with mud and a little bit of something I really don't want to know about.

I enjoyed most of the swim - didn't feel it was hard work particularly but because I hadn't really studied the course, I hadn't a clue where I was going and so it seemed quite long and I had been too cautious and unwisely put myself in the slower half of my wave I must admit after my second big gulp of river water and subsequent retching fit, I started to look forward to getting out. Transition was up very wet stairs back into ExCel - very interesting underfoot.

The cycle was billed as 'past big Ben' - unfortunately for me that route was only for the morning lot and I spent my time going back and forth through the Blackwall Tunnel - although I daresay I was cycling much faster than most cars get to do it - oh and I got to see the delights of Billingsgate Market too. V picturesque. It was a very easy cycle - fairly flat with just the ups and downs of on and off ramps so it flew by. I thoroughly enjoyed whizzing past people until the age groupers in the wave behind me started to catch up and overtake me at about 40 mph - plenty of pointy helmets in that group.

Transition again was a delight in cycle shoes - I have not mastered keeping my shoes clipped to my bike so I just had to tap dance in and out on the shiny floor and hope I didn't fall - very gingerly does it.

The run was excellent. 4 laps of a highly entertaining route - almost totally flat with a giant inflatable shoe and gatorade bottle, lots of support and asics banners all along the waters edge. Before I knew it, I was on my last lap and I could sprint to the 'raised' finish line in the middle of the expo. I had told Gavin I would be between 3 and 3:30 so I was surprised and pleased with my time. I haven't done this distance before and so I was pretty nervous about how the run would feel after, what is for me, a longer cycle.

It was a very warm day and the organisers seemed intent on keeping everyone hydrated - plenty of water, gels, stuff everywhere - way more than I was expecting. There was also a ton of marshalls and helpers - people in virgin tops everywhere you looked. I cannot think what else they could have done to help the competitors or the spectators. Brilliantly organised and so very friendly - everyone seemed to be grinning. I watched the video playback of my race this afternoon and noticed that I too was grinning like a loon in most of the shots. I think I enjoyed myself.

1.5km/38.7km/9.8km : 34.22 (T1- 4.31),1:13:09,(T2- 2.20), 50:28 - 02:44:50

Ironman Switzerland 2011 - Race Report

It seemed a long time coming then all of a sudden it was upon us and we were heading down to Manchester Airport at the crack of dawn on Thursday for the journey to Zurich, Switzerland.  

This time round Colin, Genevieve & Pam were on their 3^rd Ironman distance race, Graeme & Johnny were on their 2^nd and we had two first timers Gareth & Dawn –one of whom was very excited, the other of whom was looking sick & had been for 6 months at the prospect of this trip. We also had a further 11 people in the support crew either with us or joining us a bit later in Zurich.

Having completed the uneventful flight and slickly transferred by the easy to use train service we exited Zurich HB main station and were immediately hit by the heat as we dragged our bike boxes across the city centre over dressed as foreigners in jeans & warm tops. Once we had all checked in to the hotel we jumped on the tram & headed across to the expo by Lake Zurich for race registration.  As we entered the expo we got our first sight of the finish line which is always a goose bump moment & went quickly through the registration process. The lake was looking beautiful in the sun, right in the middle of the city but surrounded by hills & mountains on all sides.

Having spent a couple of hours buying Ironman goodies we headed back for the most expensive pizza ever and off to bed. It was at this point that we discovered that whilst the hotel was great, it was slap bang in the hub of Zurich’s red light district. From our front facing rooms we could hear & witness the goings on of at least 20 ‘ladies ‘on the night shift from 10.00pm till 5.00am. Not much sleep for us on the first night & from then on we had to try & sleep with the windows closed & the shutters down in the hot non-air conditioned rooms.

We headed down to the lake on Friday morning for a fantastic swim in the Lake & a short run before heading back for bike construction & testing. The only hitch I encountered was that I put my hand right through the shoulder of my wetsuit, & not through the normal arm hole. Having been told at the Expo that it was un-reparable I took it back to the hotel & did the best repair job I could myself. Friday pm was the race briefing & a great 4 course pasta party in the evening. Great pasta & cake, dubious drum show on stage.

Saturday morning was just time spent getting organised then we headed down after lunch for bike racking & transition set up. The transition area was very tight, especially as there were no tents for Swim, Bike & Run bags & you had to set up your gear next to your bike as you would do for a smaller Tri at home. Everyone got their areas set up well, though Pam needed hers streamlining as she seemed to have just empted her suitcase on the ground & left it. Dawn was still looking sick & just stared into open space with one eye twitching. All that was left now was dinner & the last night of attempted sleep before the 3.45am alarm on race morning.

It rained heavily as I lay awake on & off through the night listening to the girls outside and they were still going strong as we left in the 5.00am taxi down to the start line. Not much to do once we were down there other than double check everything & hang out with the supporters for a while. Everyone seemed fairly relaxed though Dawn must have had a bad dream as she kept crying & I wondered how she would get those puffy eyes into her swim goggles.

As 7.00am approached we headed to the adjacent swim start area. It was very congested and at first we couldn’t even get into the start area because of all the crowds of supporters. I squeezed through & found myself on the far right hand side of the beach. Not where I had planned to be as the first buoy was a right turn & it was a guaranteed bottleneck but it was too packed to move anywhere else so there I stayed. The girls had headed off left to the unidentifiable female start section and we waited nervously for 5 minutes for the hooter.

The first 5 metres were a walk into the water & from that point onwards we all experienced the roughest swim we have ever had to endure.  Jack had warned me that we would be swimming into the sun & unable to sight on the first buoy about ½ km out & this was the case but it was also the very least of our worries. I got swum over, swum under, crushed, elbowed & punched repeatedly for about 300 metres. At one point my goggles fogged up then I was punched in the face & they cleared – result! It was impossible to swim properly as people constantly tried to swim up your back & pushed your legs downwards. At one point & could feel the panic rising in my breathing but I managed to get a few longer strokes of bi-lateral breathing in & got it under control. I found myself a little bit of space & speeded up towards the first buoy & the inevitable crushing again. The swim opened up a little after this point & I felt like I swam strongly round to the narrow Island where we had to exit up a ramp (at which point my wetsuit shoulder burst again), run over the Island & dive back again for the slightly less traumatic 2^nd lap. I was disappointed when I looked at my watch as I was hoping for 1.03ish for the 2.8km swim but I was also just glad to have survived it. Some people struggled more with the swim or just held back as you can see from the swim times below.

Swim times (2.4 miles)

Colin                1.08

Dawn               1.11

Genevieve        1.13

Pamela             1.18

Johnny              1.29

Graeme            1.32

Gareth              1.38

Having planned our route from the swim exit to the bikes carefully the previous day it was a bit of a shock to find that the transition entrance had been fenced off & there are various photos of Genevieve & myself running around in circles looking desperately for our bikes. Despite this we both got through T1 quickly. Some people took longer. Some took MUCH longer, we don’t really know what they were doing in there.

T1

Genevieve      1.55

Colin              2.02

Dawn             3.33

Gareth            3.37

Graeme          4.04

Johnny            4.14

Pamela            4.48!

Out onto the bikes and a long flat 30k alongside the lake for starters. The weather was warm & roads were fairly good other than a lot of manhole covers & a stretch of road works where we were actually riding along the pavement at 25 mph.

At the bottom end of the lake the road turns left & you commence the first climb. Nothing too taxing here though at the first descent & easy corner I came across two riders who must have collided & both come down face first into the road. A reminder to be careful. There was a lot of drafting going on but also a lot of people in the penalty boxes. Why they do it I never know.

The route continued to undulate along for a while & the views were stunning – beautiful Swiss villages & farms & cows by the side of the road with their cow bells ringing - just as you would imagine it to be.

After a long descent back to the lake side we took in the diversion around the road works that annoyingly turned the bike into 115 miles instead of 112. It was not so much the extra distance but the fact that we now joined the ‘Beast’ climb an extra km lower down. The two consecutive climbs were certainly a slog in the hot sun & seemed to go on for a long time but were not too tough on the first lap. Having topped out on the highest point there was a death defying technical descent back to the lake side and back on the flat. We were teasingly taken straight past the transition entrance & out for the shorter sharper Heartbreak Hill climb. This zigzags up towards the crowds & noise at the top. Not quite as busy & ‘Tour de France’ like as I expected but still good fun. We were then onto the second loop which was certainly a good deal tougher than the first, especially the Beast & the long climb afterwards. The loop seemed to go on forever & I was looking at my watch trying to work out times. I had hoped for about 5.15/5.20 on the bike but that time slipped past with still a few miles to go. Having ridden Heartbreak hill for the 2^nd time we headed back & into T2. My watch showed that I was along way off target at 5.53 with maybe 15/20 mins being accounted for by the extra mileage & climbing. All the other guys had good rides with no problems other than sore legs.                                           

Bike times (115 miles)

Colin                 5.53

Genevieve         6.02

Pamela              6.27

Gareth               6.30

Johnny               6.48                       

Graeme             6.58

Dawn                6.58

T2 was pretty easy to get in & out of & myself & Genevieve rattled though in under 2 minutes.

Colin                  1.37

Genevieve          1.43

Gareth                2.37

Dawn                 3.11

Johnny                3.20

Pamela                4.26

Graeme               4.53

The run course was quite a tricky affair with lots of small loops, out & backs, dark underpasses, cobbles & narrow stretches with runners going in both directions. If you were to run this as a straight marathon you would certainly not get a quick time on it. I had expected to see lots of the other guys on the course but actually hardly saw any one other than Pam a few times but our supporters were great & a welcome sight in their spot near the transition area.

I was a little concerned about the run as my Achilles had been bothering me for a month before the race & I had only been running short once a week. I felt good on the first two 10km loops & felt that I would be near to the 3.20 marathon time that I wanted. Unfortunately with my slight lack of run fitness I seemed to lose half an hour in the second half marathon. I could see that I wasn’t going to hit any time I wanted but knew with 10km to go that I would get under 11 hours which would do me. On my last lap I saw all the other ATHelite guys so it was comforting to know that they would all finish.

The finish line was fantastic & our support crew were right there for us. I crossed the line & Alan Cardwell was there with two delicious pints of (alcohol free) beer for us. Within 5 mins I had eaten Beef Stroganoff & 4 pieces of cake & waited in the finish area for the rest of the gang. They all came in one by one looking tired but happy.

Run times (26.2 miles)

Colin                  3.49

Genevieve          4.09

Johnny               4.31

Pamela               4.33

Gareth                4.37

Graeme              4.54

Dawn                  4.56

Total finish times

Colin                  10.55

Genevieve          11.29

Pamela               12.29

Gareth                12.53

Johnny                12.56

Dawn                  13.12

Graeme               13.33

There were lots of different emotions at the end of this event. Myself & Genevieve were both so pleased to have finished our 3^rd Ironman distance but both slightly disappointed that we were about 45 mins to an hour off the times that we had been training for. We certainly maybe felt slightly less hungry for this one & probably need a year off but are certainly very proud of doing it & especially proud of all the guys that came along with us and completed this great event alongside us.

Pams aim in this race was just to finish & she had a great safe race and put aside the problems that she encountered in her last Ironman. Johnny had a great race too & was strong & steady throughout & he has some cracking photos of him running down the finish chute with his girls. Graeme missed a good chunk of training earlier in the year & had to re-set his targets. He managed to come through a dark patch on the bike to finish strong on the run.

Best of all was seeing the two first timers Gareth & Dawn completing their first Ironman events. Gareth was so focussed all the way through training & other than a difficult swim came through strong & smiling right to the end. And Dawn? Well the hardest bit for Dawn was the 6 months up to the event where she had wobbles & tears & self doubt mixed in with her training but with (a lot!) of help & coercing by us & everyone around her she made it through as we knew she would & completed an event that most people cannot even contemplate.

We had a wonderful relaxing day walking round in the sun on Monday with a few beers. Great company & a beautiful city.

Well done TEAM ATHELITE!!!!!

Now in - more Super Snazzy Asics Limited Edition Footwear

We have just taken delivery of more Limited Edition Asics footwear. These shoes are available in Running Expert Shops only are not available on line. Call or pop into the shop for more details!!

 Womens Nimbus 13 - Pink

 Mens Nimbus 13 - Blue

Womens Kayano 17 - Blue

 Mens Kayano 17 - Blue

Mens 2160 - Gold

Womens 2160 - Purple

Mens Cumulus

Womens Cumulus

A Day in the Lakes - Race Report

Following the first year of this tough event when Colin & Genevieve entered this challenging race without quite realizing what it was, Team ATHelite have turned up with more & more numbers each year. This time was certainly the biggest ATHelite onslaught yet. Even at registration the organizers couldn’t believe the number of people we had in the race – 6 relay teams plus Alan Stirling doing the whole thing. Registration was a little confusing as we had lost Jack from the 1^st team at the last minute & there was some complicated restructuring going on with none of the teams remaining the same as initially planned.

The weather forecast on Saturday was always wet & windy and we pitched the tents quickly before the rain started. In the middle of the tented corral we also had 2 gazebos to shield us from the elements – in fact we had so many tents, windbreaks & fancy furniture we were virtually back indoors again.

Having indulged ourselves in a bbq meat overload & a light drink we all headed to bed and (in a Beaver Triathlon flashback) spent half the night awake as the wind whipped through the camp site & the lambs bleated away in the adjacent field.

As we nervously peeped out of the tents early on Sunday morning it looked pretty unpleasant outside with heavy cloud & a strong wind blowing. We started to hear rumours that the swim was being cut short due to the conditions and were initially annoyed but, as we finished the race briefing and headed down to the lake it was clear to see why. The safety kayakers were having real trouble & I have never seen such big waves on a lake. There were 2 swim heats depending if you predicted faster or slower than 30 mins for the 1.9km (though the distance was now cut down to about 1.3km ish). As I had replaced Jack I found myself in the first faster heat and whilst I should have been at the back of this pace group I saw people struggling with the conditions & went to just behind the front instead. Alan Stirling was also in this group

The Swim - Ullswater (1.3 ish km’s not including the vertical ascent!)

As the hooter went it was immediately clear that this was going to be tough. Those people who weren’t breathing away from the waves were really struggling. It was quite nauseating at first & I was really fighting to stop being dragged away to the right. Sometimes as you went to stroke there was no water there & you then dropped into the trough before being hammered by the next wave. It was also impossible to see the buoys and on the way back in a group of about 30 of us were dragged out to the left but I eventually sighted on the buoy & picked up the pace & pulled away from the group I was in. Despite being in a faster swim heat I actually exited the water in 28^th position to hand over to Michael before chucking up about 4 litres of lake water all over the grass!

Alan Stirling was also in this group & appeared to have a solid swim before heading out on the tough bike leg. Genevieve finished very strongly on the swim and despite starting 5 mins later in the 2^nd heat exited the water ahead of a lot of people from the first heat. Graeme had a chat with a man in a Kayak & Dawn swam the whole thing breast stroke?!

Swim times for the miscellaneous distance were as follows; (I hope these are correct as the teams & names all changed)

Colin  22.24 (28^th overall)

Genevieve  24.39

Alan  26.01

Sandy  26.11

Lorna  28.53

Graeme  29.02

Dawn  29.33

Having watched the bikers go out we all headed back to our little tented village & put our feet up for a couple of hours. This is the first time I have done a relay as opposed to the whole thing & I could definitely get used to it!

The Bike

The bike course is actually slightly long at 58 miles but it is the climbs that make it tough with a particularly hard ascent up & over Kirkstone Pass (in the clouds & rain) followed by the climb up Shap. The wind made it doubly hard for the riders too.

As we headed back to transition to watch the bikes come in it was clear that there were some really fast guys racing today – the lead guy had already built up a 7 minute lead & would extend this lead even further on the run.

We were expecting Michael to arrive in first for us but it was actually Brian who came in first & he had clearly had a flier. Brian handed over to Colin Bain and we waited for Michael who appeared a few minutes later handing over to Alan Derrick who set off to see if he could hunt down Colin B. Whilst the others waited to see in Lisa, Frank, Ian & Don, myself Genevieve & the Gman started our run out to the feed station to cheer everyone on. By now the weather had really warmed up to the mid 20’s & even running out on the road it was really hot & sweaty. It was going to be a tough 13 mile fell run for the final legs competitors.

Unfortunately Frank had some knee trouble on the bike whilst climbing Kirkstone & had to turn & come back. We also had a disqualification as The Blonde Rocket Lisa jumped a set of amber traffic lights right under a marshalls nose!!

Relayers Ian & Don both had strong rides & Alan Stirling was still progressing well in the full event. 

Bike times as follows

Brian 2.53

Michael 3.01

Alan S 3.30

Lisa 3.47 (DQ!)

Don 4.02

Ian 4.02

Frank DNF

The Run

The run route teases you initially with a bit of flat road before kicking up right into the hills up a landrover track then undulating along a rocky path for 5 miles to the feed station & then the main climb (walk) up the fell and around a tough loop before coming back to the same feed station & a 3.5 mile hobble on the road back to the finish.

We waited at the feed station & saw everyone through with Genevieve giving her usual high octane encourage to one & all, prompting one of the marshalls to ask if she had an ‘’off switch’’!

By the second water stop Alan had swept past Colin B & we were now sitting in 2^nd team position with Colin B holding onto 3^rd team position.

Our other relay runners Dawn, Shirley, Lorna & David were all looking good & enjoying themselves. Alan Stirling, like all the others doing the full event, was starting to look pretty hot & tired but still moving forwards at a steady pace and seemed in good spirits.

We ran back to the finish line & waited for all our guys to finish. Alan Derrick is totally in his element on this kind of run & cruised past several people to finish & give us 2^nd team prize & Colin B also held his position to win the 3^rd Team prize. Out of 40 teams this is some result.

Dawn, Shirley, Lorna & David all finished to big cheers from the rest of the teams at the finish line.

Run times as follows

Alan D 1.39 (3^rd quickest run of the day)

Colin B 1.48

David 2.10

Alan S 2.59

Lorna 2.28

Dawn ??? (chip time incorrect)

Shirley ??? (chip time incorrect)

Overall Times;

Colins Team 5.02 (2^nd Team)

Genevieves Team 5.07 (3^rd Team)

Sandys Team 6.41

Ians Team 7.01

Alan Stirling (whole event) 7.01

Dawns Team 6.05 (DQ’d)

Graemes Team (not quite sure!)

After the event half of the group had to pack up & head north again but a few of us stayed for another night of more BBQ & (a lot) more booze in the evening sunshine &, apart from us, a much quieter camp site.

The next morning was glorious and following breakfast & a gentle morning swim in the mill pond flat lake (what a difference a day makes) we were the very last to leave the camp site & head north to the greyness & driving rain of home!!

This was a fantastic weekend & highly recommended event. We will no doubt be back but I am doing the whole thing next year!!

Paolina Allan wins Welland Half Ironman

Huge congrats to Paolina Allan (Genevieves sis) who decided last minute to enter the Welland Half Ironman in Canada. She only went & won the event beating 5 Pros & broke the course record finishing in 4.29!! All the damage was done on the bike. Well done Polly!!

Gray and Allan win the Welland Half Iron

June 27, 2011By Roger Hospedales

Toronto's Nigel Gray and Aurora's Paolina Allan took the overall wins at the second Welland Half Iron Triathlon.
Allan used a top bike ride (2:22:03) to secure her victory. Toronto's Ayesha Rollinson led the swim (27:51) closely followed by Torontos Suzanne Zelazo (28:40). Once on the flat but windy 90-bike course that is where Allan took control and powered to the front of the women's race. Toronto Chiropractor Cindy Lewis, making her professional debut, rode a second best 2:26:50 to get into third. Zelazo chased hard during the final run (1:29:59) but Allans lead was just too much. Allan stopped the clock at 4:29:04 to take the win, Zelazo who used the race as a tune up for Ironman Lake Placid, settled for second (4:31:17), and Lewis maintained her bronze medal position (4:37:37).

'' When I got onto the run I knew I was in the lead. I am not used to running scared, that was a scary run, said Allan, who is toying with the idea of returning to Iron distance racing at Rev3 Cedar Point. I am pretty shocked that I won because the field was very steep''.

Top 5 Men
1. Nigel Gray  3:59:55
2. Wolfgang Guembel  4:03:36
3. Chris Van Kooten  4:10:24
4. Tyler Lord  4:15:42
5. Matt Barfoot  4:19:01
Top 5 Women
1. Paolina Allan  4:29:04
2. Suzanne Zelazo  4:31:17
3. Cindy Lewis  4:37:37
4. Ayesha Rollinson  4:40:58
5. Nicole Van Beurden  4:49:51

UK 70.3 Ironman Wimbleball Race Report

Derek Stewart took in his 'A' race at the tough UK 70.3 Ironman Wimbleball at the weekend. Here is his race report...........

According to the 2010 Ironman World Champion Macca, this is the toughest 70.3 in the world.  I had entered it because it is famous for its bike course with 5,900 ft of climb in the 54.6 miles but as I came to discover, the run course was harder!

The day started with a 4am breakfast of Muesli, yoghurt and a banana – I’d normally go with porridge but the hotel we’re going to entertain that at 4am.  I felt extremely calm as I waited for the mass exodus down to the lake – 1,200 rubber clad hopefuls.  I picked my position towards the back and off to the side as it was a deep water start it was a real punch up for the first 300m and at every buoy thereafter.  People stopped in front of you and it was like a pile up on a motorway.  I exited on 40 mins which was my target time but could have gone faster if I could have found some space.

T1 was 400 yards up hill so I took my time as I was quite dizzy and got half out of my wetsuit.  Disaster struck in that my orthotics weren’t in my bike bag.  It took a few minutes of searching before I realised they were in my run bag so I had to go and get them.  12 mins 54 sec for a transition was at least 6 mins over schedule but I couldn’t go on the bike without the orthotics.

There was a strict cut off time of 5hrs 30min for the swim and the bike and I was worried about this because of the reputation of the hilly bike course – I didn’t know how long I’d take.  So my strategy was to make sure I did a fast bike as running is my strongest discipline.  It was windy and cold and the bike course was challenging with the narrow roads, long inclines, 3 monster steep hills and 1 “falling off a cliff” decline which burns your brakes out.  Peoples’ bikes were failing within the first mile – there were at least 8 and I counted 3 bust chains.

The 3 steep hills were hell especially as you knew you would do them twice.  Lots of people walked the hills but I am pleased to say I wasn’t one of them.  My guts didn’t feel good on the bike and I stopped eating solids earlier than I would normally, reduced my isotonic intake and only managed 2 gels – I felt there was a looming explosion on the horizon and it could be either end!  I managed the bike in 3hrs 54 mins so for 56.4 miles that’s an average of 14.5 mph.  I was 40 mins inside the cut off time.

Disaster number 2 struck as I tried to dismount the bike and my left quad ceased.  The marshal shouted on the paramedics but the thought of two hairy arsed fat guys rubbing my quad made me carry on without their assistance.  But I knew my legs were in trouble.

T2 was better at 3 min 54 and I am sure this was assisted by leaving by bib shorts on (completely forgot but don’t know if my legs would have coped taking them off anyway).  The run course is a complete bast**d with 1,300 ft of climbs over 3 laps.  Within 200 yards my hams were starting to protest so I ended up nursing them round.  There was one hill I wouldn’t have like to have tackled on the bike and most people walked it.  I kept running the whole time except when I reached the top of this hill I had to stretch my hams out. 

On the third lap my mantra was “pain is only temporary, failure is permanent”.  Each step hurt and I had to be careful my hams didn’t give up.   I knew my 1hr 45 wasn’t on when I saw the course the day before and had mover the target to 2hrs.  I managed 2hrs 3 mins and my total time was 6hrs 54 mins which was under the 7 hours I’d set as a must beat time.

Crossing the line was a relief.  The queue for the massage was a mile long so I rehydrated, packed up and drove the 7 hours home stopping every couple of hours for a meal!  As always I have learned a lot and having thought I had prepared everything one simple mistake cost me a lot of time.  I need to sort out my nutrition, especially a cold breakfast that give me what I need, but in the end I am very pleased that I managed the tough bike course.  While I’m slightly disappointed in a very painful and ugly run I am immensely proud of fighting off the mental demons that visit you and tell you to walk or give up.

If you’re looking for a challenge then look no further that this event.

Saturday Bike Ride

This week we are departing the shop half an hour early at 8.30am so we can nudge up the miles slightly. Still the same pace and, as always, no one gets left behind.

Should be around 32 miles tomorrow - see you there!!

MBT Clearout!!

We having an MBT clearout so all MBT's are now on sale with some BIG discounts!!

http://www.athelite.net/search/mbt

NEW Limited Edition Asics 2160

We are quite excited about our new drop of Asics Shoes. We now have in stock the New AW11 2160 in colours exclusive to us as a Running Expert Retailer. These shoes are available in-store only.

Pictures to follow!!